Alison M. Turner

Biography

In 1990, Alison Turner left a business litigation practice at Perkins Coie to focus on appellate work.Since then, she has prepared countless appellate briefs and petitions in diverse areas of law including civil rights, employment, medical malpractice, government tort liability, and business torts.Clients and trial counsel value her ability to elucidate the legal issues they confront and the strengths and weaknesses of their position, her knowledge of state and federal appellate courts and how they function, and the clarity of her appellate briefs.

As appellate counsel, Alison is frequently asked to join the defense team of her public entity clients at the start of a lawsuit in order to assist on dispositive motions, critical trial documents, and post-trial motions.The goal of this collaborative effort is to have the record needed for a successful appeal or the successful defense of a judgment.

Alison received her law degree from UCLA School of Law and her A.B. degree in history, cum laude, from Radcliffe College, Harvard University. While a law student, she clerked for the Honorable Terry J. Hatter, Jr., United States District Court for the Central District of California

She has been a CEB panelist on law and motion advocacy skills, and in the more informal setting of a law firm or a client’s conference room, she has offered an appellate perspective on various trial court issues.

Alison’s passion for language extends beyond the legal arena: her poetry has appeared nationally in a variety of literary journals.

Education

J.D., UCLA School of Law (1984).

A.B., Radcliffe College, Harvard University (1962). Cum laude.

Bar Admissions

California 1984
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals: Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Courts: Central, Eastern, Southern, and Northern Districts of California

High Impact Wins

City of Petaluma v. Superior Court (2016) 248 Cal.App.4th 1023

Made New Law

City of Petaluma established that the protections of the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine apply to a workplace investigation conducted by outside counsel even where the scope of retention does not include providing advice as to any course of action based on the findings of the investigation.

Meister confirmed that in determining reasonable attorney fees, a trial court may properly deny recovery of fees incurred after a settlement offer that would have provided the plaintiff with all the relief he ultimately achieved.

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